The Magic Within
by Robin Grayson
Summary: Robin decides to delight his beloved in an uncharacteristic move...but something seems out of place...
1. Enchanted

_The Magic Within_

**Disclaimer: Alternate Universe! Oh yeah, and I don't own the Teen Titans either!**

Chapter 1: Enchanted 

Robin strolled into the living room of Titan's Tower feeling uncharacteristically playful. Perhaps the others were right. He did need to loosen up every once in a while. After all, he would be in poor condition to confront Slade if he worked his body to its limit. No, he would need all his strength and to maintain that level, his mind needed a break from the chase.

He ambled in with a sly grin upon his face and his masked eyes drawn into sly little slits, sizing up his teammates. He had a particular scheme in mind but needed the proper audience. He glanced to Raven. No way. Raven was not the type to be amused. Ever. Not the type for parlor tricks at all. Beast Boy and Cyborg were more promising targets but still not the best choice for this one. They'd likely be too intently focused on the gamestation for the rest of the day to shift their focus to something as trivial as a magic trick. But then his masked eyes shifted to her.

She was all too perfect for his "performance." Robin almost couldn't believe himself. This was totally not his persona at all. Robin thought back to what prompted this almost-sickening bout of mischief:

Mumbo had been on the loose, creating chaos all over Jump City. Granted, Mumbo was among the least vicious of foes the Titans had gone up against, he was still a criminal and disrupting the peace and tranquility of the downtown shopping district. Innocent bystanders became "volunteers" and "assistants" for his bizarre show at the force of his magic. Mumbo was just in the process of making the First National Bank's vault disappear when the Titans appeared on the scene.

"Ah, the Titans! I was hoping for an audience that was harder to impress… The local police were far to easily caught up in the performance." Mumbo said, indicating three police units currently bound inside cases with floating saws cutting through the middle.

"Titans! Go!" Robin ordered, charging full speed after the rapidly fleeing magician. Raven's signature black energy spheres pulled the saws away before they could do any harm to the bound policemen. Starfire, Beast Boy and Raven took to the air, flying rapidly ahead of Mumbo and cutting off his escape. Cyborg and Robin came charging up behind releasing volleys of sonic cannon blasts and explosive discs.

With a wave of Mumbo's wand a mirror formed deflecting the blasts and another wave transformed the discs into flowers landing softly at his feet. A dumpster became consumed in black energy. "Azerath…Metrion…" But before Raven could finish, Mumbo cut her off, waving his wand and forming a large basket beneath her. Before she could finish her mantra, a large lid crashed down upon the cloaked girl's head trapping her inside the unusually large basket.

Beast Boy charged in tiger form but just as he pounced, Mumbo sidestepped, holding a cape into which Beast Boy vanished. Mumbo showcased the empty cape to an imaginary audience then with one swift wave of the cape sent Beast Boy flying for a block before crashing headfirst into a police cruiser.

Cyborg charged thrusting metal fist after metal fist at Mumbo. Cyborg struck a blow smashing Mumbo into a building with a great dust cloud released on impact. A triumphant "Booya!" resounded only to be cut short by a tapping on Cyborg's shoulder. Cyborg turned only to stare the blue-skinned magician in the eye. "Ah ah! If you wanted to assist, all you had to do was cut the deck!" Mumbo declared, producing a deck of cards in either hand. Mumbo bent the cards and released an unbelievable volume of cards at blinding force, blowing Cyborg away in the wave of cards.

Meanwhile Starfire clutched onto Robin and took flight executing an aerial attack while Mumbo was otherwise occupied with Cyborg. Starfire flew at blinding speed, releasing Robin as they closed in on Mumbo. Robin unleashed a flying kick into Mumbo's back knocking him off balance. Robin and Starfire unleashed a two-pronged assault; Starfire twirling Mumbo by his cape and flinging the magician at Robin who delivered blow after painful blow, culminating in Mumbo's wand flying high into the air, only to come down into Robin's glove with a swift catch.

Mumbo, now powerless, collapsed, offering a congratulatory smile to the couple that had bested his magic. As the other Titans scattered to fetch the police and ensure the safety of Mumbo's victims, Mumbo called Robin, still holding his wand, over.

"My congratulations to you, sir, but it seems that a different sort of magic is possessed between you and your…girlfriend there." For a split-second, a crimson hue washed over Robin's face only to be replaced by a sober glare at the captive magician. "What would you know about that?" Robin barked. "Now now, my friend," Mumbo replied, "I merely wished to congratulate the two of you on besting my magic…that's no small feat."

"First, I'm not your friend! Second…what does it matter to you?" Robin snapped. "Nothing at all, however I do admire the…intimacy between yourself and that young lady. You know, with the power of my wand you could dazzle the young lady." Mumbo stated. "Well, regardless, you're going to jail. Guess the curtain's closing on _your_ act." Robin smirked, as the authorities hauled the crazed magician away.

That was a week ago. Normally such remarks from a criminal went unnoticed by the Boy Wonder. But somehow Mumbo's attention to his closeness with Starfire rang through his head. He found himself staring at the wand, which radiated the power to captivate his companion. Robin cursed himself for even entertaining the idea. "Are you nuts?" he thought, "That thing's probably booby-trapped. And besides, how would such a tool be used to garner the attentions of someone like _her_?"

Still, he couldn't shake the impulse. Cautious to the last, Robin ran series after series of scans on Mumbo's wand. If he was going to wield such power, for mere amusement no less, he was going to be absolutely sure it was safe and harmless to do so. Robin kept expecting the tests to turn up some strange enchantment and that would be the end of his fanciful thinking. Yet, every test to indicate a malignance within the wand turned up negative. "Well, a little fun, couldn't hurt…" he rationalized, setting out to enjoy an afternoon with his closest friend.

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Author's Note:

Here's the beginning of the story, I've never really written before but I guess I'll try my hand at bringing this plotline to life, let me know how I'm doing (be constructive though) and I'll do my best to improve and update when I'm not too busy or suffering writer's block! Thanks again. Enjoy!


	2. A Magical Evening

_**Chapter 2: A Magical Evening**_

"Hey Star! Could you help me up on the roof?" Robin called.

"I would be most pleased to assist you, friend Robin! Shall we depart?" Starfire replied floating over to him.

This action did not fail to gain the attention of Cyborg and Beast Boy; pausing from the GameStation to curiously look over at the pair, devilish grins plastered across their faces.

"Oooooh…" came the response from Cyborg and Beast Boy.

Starfire and Robin headed for the stairway to the roof…but not before Robin shot the pair a glaring look and ground his teeth a little at the nosiness of his comrades.

"Keep it up, guys" Robin thought, "I'll have you training so hard it'll make the Navy SEAL program look like tea time"

Robin then cleared the two from his mind and escorted Starfire to the roof, he had no intention of letting those two ruin his plans.

It was then that he found himself staring into Starfire's gorgeous green eyes.

"Robin, what is it that you require my assistance with?" Starfire sweetly inquired trademark smile gracing her face

"Well, Star, ummm…do they…on Tamaran…ummm…" He began sheepishly. Aware of his inability to structure a coherent sentence, he stared down at his boots, focusing intently on how to phrase his request.

"Damn it! Just say something, you idiot! This idea was stupid, there's no way she'll go for it. It's not like you at all!" Robin thought.

Then he looked up.

Matching her emerald eyes, his mind cleared and became focused once more.

"Star, would you go to the park with me?" Robin inquired.

Starfire burst into a fit of elation and innocent giggles

"Certainly Robin! I would be most delighted to accompany you to the park. Shall I fly you there now?" she replied.

"Ready when you are" he grinned his lop-sided grin back at her.

Starfire immediately wrapped him in one her 'lung-draining' hugs. A gasp escaped Robin's mouth, though to tell the truth, he wouldn't have minded staying like that forever, had oxygen-requirements not insisted otherwise.

Aware of his (relatively) more delicate physique, Starfire lightened her grip, closing her eyes and releasing a light – almost pixie-like – giggle before floating the both of them off the ground and flying them towards their destination: Jump City Park.

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A surprisingly warm evening for April, the park was rather devoid of people.

"Perfect, no crowds…" the thought ran through his mind as he surveyed the green landscape of Jump City Park.

It wasn't that he was nervous or anything, he just found it much easier to be more personal with Starfire when they were alone, Robin thought.

Suddenly an angelic laugh escaped Starfire lips. Robin, perplexed, had only time to raise an eyebrow before the pair shot up fast into the evening sky.

Twirling him around in the open air, the crimson skies of sunset illuminating the city skyline, Robin smiled as Starfire maintained the pair's current airborne position.

"Such beautiful colors!" Starfire exclaimed, "The Earth's sunset bears much resemblance to the sunsets of Tamaran."

Robin smiled.

"Guess I sort of ignore a lot of them, but it really is beautiful, Star" Robin replied.

"Wanna head down to the park now?" he asked, though he would have been most content to dwell in that moment forever – hovering above the park at sunset with the one person he cherished over any other.

"I would be most delighted, Robin" came the reply from the auburn-haired princess, interrupting his thought train.

They touched town, Starfire releasing Robin from her delicate grip. Robin sat down on the crisp grass, motioning for Starfire to join him.

"Starfire, do they have magic tricks on Tamaran?" Robin inquired.

"Tricks of magic? We do not, Mumbo's magic would be most disruptive to Tamaranian society…" Starfire said.

"Not like that, Mumbo uses his powers to cause mayhem. But on Earth, magic is…well it's for fun. Not like Mumbo at all." Robin explained.

"I am afraid I do not understand…" Starfire began.

"Maybe I should show you." Robin cut in.

Harnessing the power of Mumbo's wand, Robin pressed his palms together. He could feel the wand's energy flow through him, despite the fact that he wasn't holding it. Guess Mumbo doesn't even have to be holding his wand so long as it's on him somewhere, Robin thought.

Slowly sliding his palms apart he produced a rose from the thin air and handed it to the princess before him with a lop-sided grin.

Starfire took it in her hand, a slow smile creeping at the edges of her mouth.

"See what I me-," Robin began.

Starfire burst into a cry of delight, the small smile bursting forth into a wide, open-mouthed grin, eyes clamped shut. Starfire immediately flew a short distance into the air, squealing in glee. Soon after she landed, the beaming smile still gracing her beautiful face.

"Robin that was most delightful! You simply must show me how to perform such tricks of magic!" Starfire declared.

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Author's Note:

Ok guys, I'm sorry that it took me a month to write a single chapter. School and work have had me extremely busy and whenever I seem to actually have time to write, I'm too tired or I have the worst case of writer's block. My goal is to have the next chapter up within two weeks though it might be a bit shorter. Anyway this chapter actually had some dialogue so I hope it came off ok. I tried my best to stay true to both characters and their speech patterns and personalities. I think I did ok for the most part but let me know what I can do better so I can make the next few chappies better.

My best goes out to Princess Starfire of Tamaran and Alas de un Cuervo. You two are awesome, and it's been a pleasure getting to know both of you. Thanks for the inspiration, Starfire.

Yours always,

Robin Grayson


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